miahalf

Office-gal by day, artsy gardener-hippy by night!

I've recently added swapping, mail art, and ATCs to my giant list of hobbies...

...that list includes collage, sewing (since age five!), clothing and costume design, screenprinting, baking, photography, burlesque, graphic design, computer programming, tarot and astrology, and pretending I can play the guitar when nobody is listening.

I have a massive garden and a collection of edible and medicinal plants. I'm a huge Biology geek.

Mushrooms, plants, pixies, squirrels, trees, math, geometry, letters and numbers, DNA, buttons and fabric, beads and other shiny things, insects, anatomy and microscope images, outer space and quantum mechanics, mythology, the beach and the forest.

I'm a bit of a weirdo - I like "curiosities" and odd, unusual objects. I love collage, and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated or contrasting images.

My best friend plays roller derby for the Terminal City Roller Girls, and I am one of their rabid fans.

Okay, I really like all of the colours. Even seafoam - in proper context, you know: like at the sea and not on a bridesmaid's dress, ha ha.

That being said, this year I am especially trying to bring more BLUE into my life.

Brand names, plastic, GMOs, fake flavours or smells [I like the real thing or not at all]. Ginger - ginger ale is okay - it's all sugar anyway, and I will drink ginger tea if I'm sick - but I will complain the whole time.

I'm not really into sports, unless it's Roller Derby. (there's just something about girls wearing fishnets trying to knock each other over on roller skates...)

I'm a big fan of "gifting" and community participation, not to mention creating and exchanging art. I have tried so many new crafts since I started swapping - some crafts I'd never even heard of before! It makes me feel like I'm part of an exclusive club... I'm always having to explain to my real-life friends what a "Chunky Page" or an "ATC" is, or why I'm suddenly stealing colourful concert posters wherever I go...

I'm also a fan of postage stamps - both sending and receiving! I like the lickable ones better than the stickers because you can soak them off and re-use them in collage :)

• I prefer quality over quantity... I started out doing small swaps, but as I spend more time on swap-bot I find I'm doing fewer, larger swaps.

• I always try for a heart, but I definitely won't take it personally if you don't give me one! Because it's not the heart that counts, it's the feeling that inspires the heart that I am aiming for ;) I will send extras, but only if it's something I find on your profile.

• For the record - I don't have a problem with "re-gifting" in either sense... I'm okay with receiving second-hand things (in fact, I like found objects with history) and I won't be offended if you pass on something that I send to you!

I'd like to do more private swaps for handmade crafts. (not necessarily for the same thing, we could exchange different crafts) On my Flickr page I have examples of the kinds of things I make, in case anything catches your eye... just PM me and let me know ;)

Things I'd be interested in making/receiving:
* tea wallet
* pin cushion
* needle book
* bunting
* altered journal
* chunky pages (I have a few but not enough for a book yet)
* handmade postcards
* pinup postcards - the artsy, creative and non-exploitive kind ;)

...I enjoy making ATCs, but I don't really collect them myself. I'd especially like to do more tarot ATCs.

It should definitely go without saying that I never expect extras or granted wishes! This list is here in case you are looking for ideas :)

• anything with a mushroom on it... except for salt&pepper shakers, I already have several sets ;)
• anything blue, or to do with the Blue/Throat Chakra
• tiny/small/medium sheets of notepaper
• used postage stamps - or put nice stamps on the envelope :)
• anything to do with mythology - I'm especially fond of Hermes, Horus, Maat, Shiva, Kali, Artemis and Harpocrates. Oh and I can't forget Eris, or she might be offended and throw one of her golden apples...
• glass beads or buttons, or other shiny things
• a spool of silk thread
• blank labels, with patterns/pictures or plain
• a small found object, curiosity, or strange ephemera image